Need some advice on Cell Phone Signal Boosters

[Baja 252]

Here at LOTO we have docks with metal roofs. Getting a phone signal while on the dock is spotty at best and the house WiFi is too far away. Do cell boosters work very well in this situation?
I see some are $500 and up to cover a whole house, but our dock roof is only 35' x 35' so I thought a smaller one might be worth a try.
I saw this one on Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6QRTWZH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A33CI9KNEJEFWA&th=1

 

[Orange Juice]

Here at LOTO we have docks with metal roofs. Getting a phone signal while on the dock is spotty at best and the house WiFi is too far away. Do cell boosters work very well in this situation?
I see some are $500 and up to cover a whole house, but our dock roof is only 35' x 35' so I thought a smaller one might be worth a try.
I saw this one on Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6QRTWZH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A33CI9KNEJEFWA&th=1

I suggest getting Wi-Fi, and use internet calling.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Here at LOTO we have docks with metal roofs. Getting a phone signal while on the dock is spotty at best and the house WiFi is too far away. Do cell boosters work very well in this situation?
I see some are $500 and up to cover a whole house, but our dock roof is only 35' x 35' so I thought a smaller one might be worth a try.
I saw this one on Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6QRTWZH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A33CI9KNEJEFWA&th=1

Can you run an Ethernet cable down to the doc with another Wi-Fi station? Probably your cheapest/best bet?

 

[paradise]

I suggest getting Wi-Fi, and use internet calling.

Agree, do a point to point wireless setup and an access point at the dock. Fairly easy to diy if you do your own computer stuff

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Cell boosters take bad coverage and amplify it. They don’t really solve the problem, especially for data services. Phone calls only may get better but that’s it.

I’m betting you don’t have very good cell signal service already.

You’d probably be better off getting an outdoor AP and a directional antenna on the house and blasting your house Wifi directly at the dock.

 

[Flatsix66]

Get Starlink

 

[Maw]

We use a Wilson unit on the big boat when we're offshore. Good operation out to 50-60 miles from the coastline. I think a big portion of the improvement is from a sizable antenna (compared to the cell phone's) mounted up high on the radar arch.

Cell Phone Signal Boosters For Boats | Wilson Amplifiers

Shop cell phone signal boosters for boats and marine vehicles. Better cell service instantly. Free shipping and no-risk money back guarantee

www.wilsonamplifiers.com

 

[DaveH]

phone boosters work depending on a couple of factors.

first of all, there has to be some level of radio signal. often times, houses, terrain, tree's and other foliage greatly reduce the signal.

go up on the roof of your house. if you can get decent service up there a booster will fix your problem.

for the booster to work, the main antenna (generally called the "outdoor" antenna) needs to be mounted up high on your roof. the re-broadcasting antenna needs to be mounted where it's output RF CAN NOT be seen by the other antenna. Think of a feedback loop with a speaker and microphone....you know the results and this is no different.

 

[Baja 252]

Our cell signal is great, I can see the tower a 1/2 mile away from our deck. There is just no signal under the dock roof. I was thinking an antenna on top of the dock getting the good signal, then rebroadcast the signal under the roof. I assume the roof will stop the RF being seen from the other antenna.

 

[Racey]

Can you run an Ethernet cable down to the doc with another Wi-Fi station? Probably your cheapest/best bet?

There is a company called Ubiquity that makes awesome wifi point to point hops. They are very affordable, much easier than running a cable and they have a very long range. like 1000yds +

 

[Baja 252]

We have some people that stream live on TikTok, streaming live doesn't work switching back and forth from WiFi to cell service when they are on the dock then out in the boat miles away from the dock. I should have mentioned that in my first post, WiFi isn't an option.

 

[2Driver]

Im putting a Weboost in our truck. Its designed to amplify a faint signal and increase connectivity. Overland folks seem to like them a lot. You've probably noticed the black beer-can looking antennas on RV and trucks.

They make them for homes as well with choices for 1 room, several rooms and the whole house.

Read up on Weboost. Sounds like it could work for your problem depending on what you want to do. They do need power.

 

[4Waters]

Why not do something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Antenna-BAS-2307-Extender-routers/dp/B08242CL6Z/ref=asc_df_B08242CL6Z/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693638254690&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5859950356804915789&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013819&hvtargid=pla-889955071083&psc=1&mcid=e47d8ca370ce3fed810ea4b465732ca5&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxeyxBhC7ARIsAC7dS3-I0RhTiTzriY1J_AkoFAw3tasiWAzsrc8eKx2w3fx7X1hfVXyU0SsaAsbVEALw_wcB

 

[lbhsbz]

Here at LOTO we have docks with metal roofs. Getting a phone signal while on the dock is spotty at best and the house WiFi is too far away. Do cell boosters work very well in this situation?
I see some are $500 and up to cover a whole house, but our dock roof is only 35' x 35' so I thought a smaller one might be worth a try.
I saw this one on Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6QRTWZH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A33CI9KNEJEFWA&th=1

Why the fuck would you want cell signal while relaxing on the dock?

 

[DaveH]

Our cell signal is great, I can see the tower a 1/2 mile away from our deck. There is just no signal under the dock roof. I was thinking an antenna on top of the dock getting the good signal, then rebroadcast the signal under the roof. I assume the roof will stop the RF being seen from the other antenna.

not likely the roof will have enough separation between the antennas.